Grammys: A Guide to All of the Album of the Year Winners

From Henry Mancini's 'The Music From Peter Gunn' to Beck's 'Morning Phase,' THR rounds up all of albums that took home the most coveted Grammy dating back to the very first ceremony in 1959.

Adele

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Nothing marks success in a musician's career quite like a Grammy award — especially the most coveted statue in the race, album of the year. Though several musicians have been decorated many times over with golden gramophones, only an elite few have secured the top prize since America's grandest music ceremony began in 1959.

Some more recent album of the year winners include Adele, Beck, Taylor Swift, Daft Punk and Mumford & Sons, but the honor dates all the way back to Henry Mancini's inaugural win for The Music from Peter Gun, which beat out industry legends like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Sinatra, however, ranks among the select group of repeat album of the year winners, which also includes Tom Coyne, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.

Two of the award's latest recipients, Adele and Swift, are the only women to have taken home the high honor more than once for 21 and 25, as well as Fearless and 1989, respectively. With Fearless, Swift surpassed Alanis Morissette as the category's youngest victor at 20 years old. Singer-songwriter Bruno Mars is the current album of the year holder. The "24K Magic" singer secured the award in 2018 for his album of the same name, besting fellow artists Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Lorde. Mars was previously nominated in the album of the year race in 2012 for Doo-Wops & Hooligans.

Read about more of the past album of the year champs below.

1959: The Music From Peter Gunn

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Artist: Henry Mancini

Producer: Simon Rady

Other Grammy Wins: Best Arrangement

1960: Come Dance With Me!

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Artist: Frank Sinatra

Producer: Dave Cavanaugh

Other Grammy Wins: Best Vocal Performance (Male)

1961: The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart

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Artist: Bob Newhart

Other Grammy Wins: Best Comedy Performance (Musical), Best New Artist

1962: Judy at Carnegie Hall

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Artist: Judy Garland

Other Grammy Wins: Best Solo Vocal Performance (Female)

1963: The First Family

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Artist: Vaughn Meader

Producers: Bob Booker, Earle Doud and George Foster

Other Grammy Win: Best Comedy Performance

1964: The Barbara Streisand Album

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Artist: Barbara Streisand

Producer: Mike Berniker

Other Grammy Wins: Best Vocal Performance (Female)

1965: Getz/Gilberto

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Artist: Joao Gilberto & Stan Getz

Producer: Creed Taylor

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year (“The Girl From Ipanema”), Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Small Group or Soloist with Small Group

1966: September of My Years

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Artist: Frank Sinatra

Producer: Sonny Burke

Other Grammy Wins: Best Vocal Performance (Male) (“It Was A Very Good Year”)

1967: A Man and His Music

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Artist: Frank Sinatra

Producer: Sonny Burke

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) (“Strangers In The Night”)

1968: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

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Artist: Beatles

Producer: George Martin

Other Grammy Wins: Best Contemporary Album

1969: By the Time I Get To Phoenix

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Artist: Glen Campbell

Producer: Al De Lory

1970: Blood, Sweat and Tears

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Artist: Blood, Sweat and Tears

Producer: James William Guercio

Other Grammy Wins: Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance (“Variations on a Theme by Eric Satie”)

1971: Bridge Over Troubled Water

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Artist: Simon and Garfunkel* Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Producers: Roy Halee & Simon and Garfunkel

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Contemporary Song, and Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists (“Bridge Over Troubled Water”)

1972: Tapestry

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Artist: Carole King

Producer: Lou Adler

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year (“It’s Too Late”), Song of the Year (“You’ve Got a Friend”), Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female)

1983: Toto IV

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year (“Rosanna”), Producer of the Year

1984: Thriller

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Artist: Michael Jackson

Producer: Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male (“Beat It”), Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) (“Thriller”), Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male & Best Rhythm & Blues Song (“Billie Jean”), Best Recording for Children (“E.T. The Extra Terrestrial”), Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)

1985: Can't Slow Down

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Artist: Lionel Richie

Producer: James Anthony Carmichael & Lionel Richie

Other Grammy Wins: Producer of the Year (Non-Classical

1986: No Jacket Required

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Artist: Phil Collins

Producer: Hugh Padgham & Phil Collins

Other Grammy Wins: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)

1991: Back on the Block

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Artist: Quincy Jones

Producer: Quincy Jones

Other Grammy Wins: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Jazz Fusion Performance & Best Arrangement on an Instrumental (“Birdland’), Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)

1992: Unforgettable with Love

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Artist: Natalie Cole

Producers: Andre Fischer, David Foster & Tommy LiPuma

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Best Traditional Pop Performance (“Unforgettable”)

1993: Unplugged

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Artist: Eric Clapton

Producer: Russ Titelman

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Song of the Year & Best Pop Vocal Performance (“Tears in Heaven”), Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male), Best Rock Song (“Layla”)

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (“Smooth”), Best Pop Instrumental Performance (“El Farol”), Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (“Put Your Lights On”), Best Rock Instrumental Performance (“The Calling”), Best Rock Album

2001: Two Against Nature

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Artist: Steely Dan

Producers: Donald Fagen & Walter Becker

Other Grammy Wins: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (“Cousin Dupree”), Best Pop Vocal Album

2002: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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Artist: Alison Krauss & Union Station

Producer: T Bone Burnett

Other Grammy Wins: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (“The Lucky One”), Best Bluegrass Album

2003: Come Away with Me

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Artist: Norah Jones

Producers: Arif Mardin, Craig Street, and Jay Newland & Norah Jones

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female) (“Don’t Know Why”), Best New Artist, and Best Pop Vocal Album

2005: Genius Loves Company

Other Grammy Wins: Record of the Year & Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (“Here We Go Again”), Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical), Best Surround Sound Album, Best Gospel Performance